Andreas Schlüter

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Kikin Palace in St Petersburg is often attributed to Schlüter, although there is no proof of his authorship
Kikin Palace in St Petersburg is often attributed to Schlüter, although there is no proof of his authorship

Andreas Schlüter (May 20, 1660 – May 1714) was a baroque sculptor and architect associated with the Petrine Baroque style of architecture and decoration.

Schlüter was born in Danzig (Gdańsk) where he also spent his early years and decorated the facade of the royal chapel, in 1681. Later he created statues for King Jan III Sobieski's Wilanów Palace in Warsaw and sepulchral sculptures in Zolkiew (Zhovkva). In 1689, he moved to Warsaw and made the pediment reliefs and sculptural work of Krasiński Palace.

He was called to Berlin in 1694 to work as court sculptor at the Zeughaus for Elector Frederick III of Brandenburg-Prussia. His sculpted decorations are a masterpiece of baroque expression and pathos. While the more visible reliefs on the outside had to praise fighting, the statutes of dying warriors in the interior denounced war and gave an indication of his religious beliefs. Travelling through Italy in 1696, he studied the work of masters like Michelangelo Buonarroti und Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

He also worked as an architect and built many state buildings in Berlin in his role of "Hofbaumeister" (Court Architect) which he lost when one tower showed signs of a week fundament. He also served as director of the Akademie der Künste from 1702 to 1704 until concentrating on sculpturing again, as "Hofbildhauer" (Court Sculptor). His most important Equestrian sculpture is that of the "Great Elector", Frederick William of Brandenburg, cast in 1708 and placed at "Lange Brücke" near the Berlin City Palace, now situated in the Charlottenburg Palace.

The Berlin City Palace, and many of his works, were partially destroyed by bombing in World War II and by the subsequent Communist regime. A similar fate happened to the Amber Room, made between 1701 and 1709, Schlüter's most famous work of architecture.

In 1713 his fame brought him to work for Tsar Peter the Great in St. Petersburg, Russia, where he not long after died of an illness, after creating several designs. Together with Johann Friedrich Braunstein, he designed the Grand Palace and Monplaisir Palace in Peterhof. Also the city's oldest building, Kikin's Palace, and the reliefs at the Summer Palace are attributed to him.

[edit] Some extant works

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